Del Potro sets up Federer US Open showdown

New York, Sep 5 (AFP) Juan Martin del Potro shrugged
off sickness to save two match points and defeat Dominic Thiem
in a five-set US Open epic on Monday to book a quarter-final
showdown with five-time champion Roger Federer.

Del Potro famously defeated Federer in the 2009 final
for his only career Grand Slam title before his career was
almost torpedoed by a succession of wrist surgeries.

Federer, the third seed, eased into the last-eight
with a 6-4, 6-2, 7-5 win over Philipp Kohlschreiber, taking
his record over the German veteran to 12-0.

Elsewhere, top seed Rafael Nadal claimed his 50th win
at the US Open and will meet Russian teenager Andrey Rublev.

In the women's event, world number one Karolina
Pliskova set-up a quarter-final date against America's CoCo
Vandeweghe.

Estonia's world number 418 Kaia Kanepi also reached
the quarter-finals, just the second qualifier to make the last
eight.

But the day belonged to Del Potro, who celebrated his
win, which came off a Thiem double fault, by stretching out
his arms, head facing the night sky, as his legion of fans,
many dressed in the light blue colors of Argentina's famed
football and Pumas rugby teams, celebrated wildly.

"Oh my God," said Del Potro, who had been 2-5 down in
the fourth set.

"I was sick the last two days. I came here trying to
play the best I can and then when I see this crowd cheering
for me, I was trying to play better every game. I will always
remember this."

- Federer's 'bum' note -

========================

Federer has a 16-5 advantage over Del Potro but they
have split their last six meetings.

The 36-year-old Swiss maestro didn't face a break
point against Kohlschreiber with his biggest challenge having
to take a medical time-out off court at the end of the second
set.

"I needed a rub on my back... or bottom and I didn't
want to do it in front of you guys," he explained before he
turned his attentions to Del Potro.

"It's great to see him back on tour. He's had a rough
ride with wrist problems. He's a good guy."

World number one and 2010 and 2013 champion Nadal, who
could meet Federer for the first time in New York in the
semi-finals, crushed Ukraine's Alexander Dolgopolov 6-2, 6-4,
6-1.

The 31-year-old Spaniard goes on to face Russian 19-
year-old Rublev, who stunned Belgian ninth seed David Goffin
7-5, 7-6 (7/5), 6-3 to become the youngest quarter-finalist
since Andy Roddick in 2001.

"I played a solid match with not many mistakes," said
Nadal, the reigning French Open champion.

Rublev, ranked 53, has won 13 of his last 17 matches
after breaking the top 100 for the first time in June.

"Rafa is a real champion. I will try to do my best --
I have nothing to lose," said Rublev.

Meanwhile, the 32-year-old Kanepi, a former world
number 15 whose career was almost ended by illness and a
crippling injury, downed Russia's Daria Kasatkina 6-4, 6-4.

She will next face Madison Keys of the United States,
who put out fourth seed Elina Svitolina 7-6 (7/2), 1-6, 6-4,
ending the Ukrainian's hopes of taking the world number one
spot.

It will be Kanepi's sixth quarter-final at the majors
and second in New York after also reaching the last eight in
2010.

"It's very tough to believe where I am now after all
that has happened. I didn't expect it," said Kanepi, who is
playing in the main draw of an event for the first time this
year.

Top seed Pliskova, the runner-up in 2016, needed just
46 minutes to sweep past American Jennifer Brady 6-1, 6-0 and
make her third Slam quarter-final of the year.

She will next face American 20th seed CoCo Vandeweghe,
who made the last eight for the first time by beating Lucie
Safarova of the Czech Republic 6-4, 7-6 (7/2)